Simon Cowell Double Parks for Boozy Night Out

Simon Cowell relaxed with a couple of beers after the first live semi-final of  on Saturday as he left the studio with his fiancée .

The music mogul, 66, was spotted with a couple of bottles of beer as he got into his car, while Lauren, 48, headed off in a separate vehicle.

Lauren appeared in high spirits, flashing a smile at the cameras as she got into another cab outside the London venue.

The couple first met in Barbados in 2004, but didn't start dating until around 2012. They welcomed their son Eric in 2014 and got engaged in 2021. 

Now, four years on from his proposal, Lauren has poked fun at the length of their engagement in a rare interview. 

Lauren joked that a funeral could come before their wedding 'at the rate we're going'.

During an appearance on ExtraTV, host and Simon's ex Terri Seymour asked if she needs 'to be buying a hat anytime soon.'

Lauren replied: 'You mean like for a wedding? Is that what that means?'

When the presenter joked that she meant 'for a funeral', Lauren laughed: 'Well, who knows which one is going to happen first at the rate we're going?' 

The music mogul and Lauren have shared their lives in new  docuseries The Next Act, which follows Simon's nationwide search for young, talented musicians.

Ahead of its release, she teased: 'It's a lot. Simon on his own is bad enough, but now to have Eric as his little sidekick — it's just diabolical.' 

Meanwhile, Simon said a wedding is on the horizon after his fiancée  legally changed her name.

In between scenes of the X Factor star at work are slices of family life with Lauren and their son Eric, 11, and one episode shows Lauren signing paperwork to formally change her name by deed poll to Cowell.

Now, Simon, who has previously been vocal about his reluctance to marry before proposing to Lauren on Christmas Eve 2021, has insisted the two will wed.

'I always shied away from saying it's going to happen whenever,' he explained. 'When we decide to do it, it will be private then people will know about it but obviously the fact that she talks about changing her name, it's quite obvious where all this is leading to.' 

'We have a very, very close bond. I adore her. We are a very happy family, genuinely,' he gushed. 

Simon revealed that whilst he had to persuade Lauren to appear in his new show, the experience only strengthened his love for her.

'She was a bit reluctant [to be on camera] in the beginning, and then she got more used to it,' he told Us Weekly. 'The funny thing about her is that she is identical on the show as she is in real life,' he admitted. 

'When I was watching the show back, I was absolutely cracking up at some of the scenes. 

In the name change scene Lauren, who was previously married to businessman Andrew Silverman with whom she shares son Adam, 20,  is seen explaining that she has decided she no longer wants to go by her old married name.

'Look, I am Mrs Cowell,' she says. 'I have created a life with Simon, we have a child together, we have a solid relationship.'

The name change, she says, was about aligning with Simon and Eric. 'This is more about the unity of our family and us having the same name. When we discussed it, Simon said, 'Yeah, I would really like you to change your name.' It wasn't a dramatic statement, it was just: 'This is who I am, and this is who we are'.'

Despite previously insisting that he 'didn't believe' in marriage, the father-of-one reassessed his views after falling in love with Lauren - who was left 'stunned' by the shock proposal.  

Simon met Lauren when she was still married to millionaire property developer Andrew. 

Their affair became public – and Simon's life changed – at the end of July 2013 when news broke of Lauren's pregnancy. 

In 2015, Simon told Mail on Sunday Event magazine: 'I'm not proud of the circumstances, I can't hold my head up about it.'

And of the pregnancy, he admitted: 'This was not something I planned. But I remember going to the first scan with Lauren.

'I called him Tad because he looked like a tadpole. Something just kicked in. I felt unbelievably protective of both of them. I just absolutely wanted him. I just hadn't known that before.'

Simon had previously stated that he 'didn't believe in marriage' and worried about what would happen to his fortune if he tied the knot. 

The creator - who has a net worth of approximately $600million - said in 2008: 'I don't believe in marriage, certainly not in this business.

'The truth is that you get married and in a year or two they clean you out! It's just not going to work.'

The father-of-one has previously enjoyed high-profile relationships with the likes of Sinitta, Jackie St. Clair and Terri Seymour. 

He was rumoured to have been secretly engaged to Page Three girl Louise Payne, after she split from her husband and Right Said Fred star Fred Fairbrass, yet never confirmed the reports.